Officers fought to save wounded woman Judith Ege

A POLICEMAN told a jury he and fellow officers fought to save a badly injured woman in Horfield, but she was beyond help.

PC Kevin Pope said he and a colleague were in an armed response police car when they were called to Highbury Road, where they saw a silver Vauxhall Corsa.

PC Pope described how fatally stabbed Judith Ege was found in the rear footwell of the car, with her throat cut. Though officers took her from the vehicle and tried to resuscitate her on the pavement, Dr Edward Valentine pronounced her dead at the scene shortly after they arrived.

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Bristol Crown Court had heard Mrs Ege, 58, and her husband, visited Bandavad after he split with Mr Ege's daughter Samantha. They went to collect Samantha's possessions from the home in Highbury Road, and Bandavad cooperated in loading the car, the court heard.

Suddenly, the jury was told, his mood changed and he demanded the three of them go for a drive, showing them he had a gun and two knives.

It is alleged that when Mr Ege ran, hoping that Bandavad would follow, Bandavad carried out a "murderous" assault on Mrs Ege as she tried to defend herself in the back of the car.

The Crown says Bandavad deposited barbecue lighter fuel in an attempt to set fire to the car following the attack.

PC Pope said his attention was drawn to the Corsa's open fuel flap, which suggested someone had tried to siphon fuel from it or the owner had forgotten to close it.

He told the jury: "My colleague said 'there's someone in there'. We stopped and reversed backwards. We got out and went to the passenger side of the car. There was a pair of bare feet pressed against the nearside rear window of the car.

"The front passenger seat was bent forward to allow access to the rear of the vehicle. You could see someone inside the vehicle."

PC Pope described how a woman was sat in the footwell at 90 degrees to the side of the car, with her feet against the window.

He said: "We opened the door of the car. I could clearly see the wound to the throat. I couldn't detect signs of life at that stage."

PC Pope said he and colleagues removed the woman from the car and carried out emergency resuscitation.

Dr Edward Valentine, a specialist registrar in emergency medicine and volunteer Dr for Great Western Ambulance Service, confirmed the woman suffered serious wounds to her neck and chest and there were no signs of life.

Andrew Muir, a flatmate of Bandavad's, said he had shown Bandavad a shed in the garden which contained barbecue lighter fuel.

Scott O'Reilly told the jury he was looking onto Maskelyne Avenue when he saw a black man put a rucksack into a bin.

It is claimed Bandavad dumped the bag there, which was stained with Mrs Ege's blood and contained cable ties, false moustaches, latex gloves, matches and a bottle of barbecue lighter fuel with Bandavad's finger marks on.